Jesse (29 page)
Authors: C. H. Admirand
Dylan
Dylan Garahan narrowed his gaze, trying to focus in the glare of the spotlight, searching the crowd for her face. It was time for the big move in his actâthe showstopper.
Where
was
she?
Jolene would kill him if he messed this up, but he'd made it through the last two nights and would make it through tonight. The redheaded owner of the club should have no complaints about the middle Garahan brother not keeping his word or holding up his end of the bargain. Damn the woman and her tests!
Controlling the urge to turn on his heel and walk off the stage, he dug deep and found the grit to stick it out.
Hell, if Tyler could handle this job, so could he. Garahans went down fighting!
Oblivious to the adoring gazes of the women around him, he moved toward center stage, bent, and picked up the coiled rope. He looked up as a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead walked into the bar⦠right on schedule⦠but there was something different about the brunette. Maybe it was the blindfold. He struggled not to laugh, but he couldn't keep from smiling, wondering why the cloak-and-dagger bit.
Looping the lasso in his hands, he started the slow circular motion. Getting the rhythm going until it was smooth and sweet, he raised it above his head and locked gazes with the blonde. When she nodded, he let the lasso fly, as the blonde whipped the blindfold off the brunette.
The woman's stunned expression as the rope slipped around her upper body didn't stop him from tugging on the rope and reeling her in. The patrons of the Lucky Star hooted and hollered, encouraging him to pull faster, but he didn't want the little lady to trip and fall on her pretty face.
Glad that the focus of the crowd wasn't totally on him, he gently pulled her toward him. The brunette's gypsy-dark skin, full red lips, and almond-shaped eyes captivated him. The promise of pain-filled death in her dark green eyes, as she struggled against the bonds that held her, had his lips twitching, fighting not to smile.
She dug in her heels, but he used his strength to subdue her. Undeterred, he yanked on the rope. When her eyes widened in shock, he used her surprise to his advantage and reeled her in the last few feet. When they were a few inches apart, he tipped his hat, smiled, and rumbled, “Happy birthday, darlin'.”
Her eyes narrowed, and her nostrils flared; Dylan recognized the signs of a fractious filly about to raise a ruckus. Not a problem, he was ready. Wrapping his free hand around her, he hauled her in close, pinning her to him before she could let loose and kick him.
The crowd roared its approval.
“Let me go,” she demanded, her sweet breath tickling the hollow of his throat.
Enjoying himself for the first time since he'd hit the stage, he chuckled and bent his head closer to her full red lips. “Why?” His gaze locked with hers. “So you can have more room to do more damage?”
“I don't like being manhandled.”
Her vehement protest didn't deter him; he had a job to do and an act to finish. “Well now, darlin',” he drawled, “that's not what your friends said.”
Her eyes sparkled with temper, and her willowy body trembled with anger. Dylan's body stood up and said
hell
yeah
! It'd been a long time since he'd had a woman tempt him. The sultry brunette in his arms looked like she wanted to tear a few strips off of his hide⦠right before she killed him.
Damn, but that turned him on.
Perverse.
That's what his grandpa would say. He grinned and would swear he heard her grinding her teeth in frustration.
“Let me go.” She struggled against him, but he'd trapped her slender curves against him so not a breath of air was between them. “I'm not one of those desperately lonely women, or buckle bunnies coming in here looking for some eye candy.”
Lord, he really loved the husky sound of her voice. Even angry, it sounded sexy. He fought against the instant attraction he'd felt and shrugged. “I'm not the one whose friends blindfolded me.”
She closed her eyes and stopped struggling. Dylan could feel the anger leaving her by degrees.
“They're just trying to help.”
“With a face like an angel and a body made for lovin', why would you need any?”
Tears gathered in her eyes. “None of your business.”
Well, hell.
His one weakness cut him off at the knees.
A
woman's tears.
“I'm about to make it my business.”
In our family, both the good and the bad come in threes, so once the first crisis hit, we braced for two more. Through it all my best friendâmy rockâmy husband stood firm beside me offering me the chance I never thought I'd have: the opportunity to write full time, and thank God for that, because without that gift,
Jesse
would still be a work-in-progress.
While writing
Jesse
I gained a son-in-law, a wonderful man who loves our daughter, dances with her, and makes her laugh. Now we have three sons. We are truly blessed and looking forward to the birth of our first grandbaby⦠life is good.
There are so many people at Sourcebooks to thank, but first and foremost, thank you to my wonderful editor, Deb Werksman, for her vision, attention to detail, and amazing ability to push me to dig even deeper, helping me to become a better writer.
A special thank you to our publisher, Dominique Raccah. How amazing that she really does know who I am and what I writeâshe gives the best hugs!
Thank you to Cat, Susie, and Danielle for your hard work pulling everything together and making it work; you ladies totally rock!
Although I do mention him last, it doesn't reflect the importance he has in my writing life. A very special thank-you to my fabulous agent, Eric Ruben, who has taken the helm and is steering my career in the right direction. While I'm sad to be leaving Pleasure, Texas, I cannot wait to start writing about the Mulcahy sisters and small-town America! Without Eric's guidance, none of this would be possible.
C.H. Admirand is an award-winning, multi-published author with novels in mass-market paperback, hardcover, trade paperback, magazine, e-book, and coming soon in audio book format.
Fate, destiny, and love at first sight will always play a large part in C.H.'s stories because they played a major role in her life. When she saw her husband for the first time, she knew he was the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Each and every hero C.H. writes about has a few of Dave's best qualities: his honesty, his integrity, his compassion for those in need, and his killer broad shoulders. She lives with her husband and two of their grown children in the wilds of northern New Jersey.
She loves to hear from readers! Stop by her website at
www.chadmirand.com
to catch up on the latest news, excerpts, reviews, blog posts, and links to Facebook and Twitter.
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